Etobicoke parade spreads holiday cheer

A snowman and snowflakes adorned Humber College’s contribution to this year’s annual Christmas parade in Etobicoke.

Costumed Humber volunteers marched in the Etobicoke Lakeshore Santa Claus Parade last Saturday morning, an event attended by about 60,000 people, and running along Lake Shore Boulevard between Dwight Avenue and 36th Street.

Kavelle Deonanan, Event Coordinator and Community Liaison at Humber’s Lakeshore campus, said this was the third time Humber’s joined Santa’s spectacle in Etobicoke. The objective is to be part of the community of south Etobicoke and involved with the Lakeshore Business Improvement Areas (BIA), she said.

Humber Lakeshore students in the First Year Experience program (FYE) volunteered to make the snowflake costumes and a snowman life-sized mascot. Humber’s parade contribution involved 15 costumed snowflake volunteers, the snowman puppet and the iconic Humber Hawk.

“We think it’s a nice tradition because we can get involved as a department to partner with,” Deonanan said. “It is pretty much a partnership between a variety of departments and Humber Lakeshore.”

Olivia Banton, an accounting student at Humber and one of the school’s 50 volunteers, said she participated in the parade for children.

“I’m excited to see their smiles,” Banton said before the parade.

According to their official website, the Etobicoke Lakeshore Santa Claus Parade started in 1991 when the Lakeshore Village (New Toronto) BIA approached the Long Branch BIA with the idea of starting a Christmas parade on the Lakeshore again after a 25 -year hiatus. They thought it would be a good way to bring more people to the community, and let them know the area was alive and well.

Several surrounding local communities and sponsors supported and joined the parade, such as the Campbell Company of Canada, TD-Canada Trust, McDonald’s, Lakeshore West Dental, Kearns Financial Inc. and Marino’s Auto Group.

Sean Campbell was at the parade dressed up in costume as a mascot for Crock A Doodle, a Canadian pottery painting franchise. Campbell’s wife works in Crock A Doodle’s studio on Lakeshore.

“We are a part of community, so we want to participate,” Campbell said.